Fire and Rescue Service History - Metro Washington - Arlington County, Virginia

Fire Buffs promote the general welfare of the fire and rescue service and protect its heritage and history. Famous Fire Buffs through the years include New York Fire Surgeon Harry Archer, Boston Pops Conductor Arthur Fiedler, New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and - legend has it - President George Washington.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

On behalf of the officers and men garrisoned at Fort Myer I desire to thank you and your men for the prompt and effective manner in which you participated in fighting the fire in the Riding Hall at this station on the night of February 28th-March 1st.

Your assistance was invaluable and it is felt, but for your efforts, the fire might and probably would have spread to other buildings, possibly endangering the very existence of Fort Myer.

Again assuring you of our deep appreciation, I am

Most sincerely yours,

G. B. PATTON, Jr.Major, 3d CavalaryCommanding

Letter courtesy of Betty Fought From collection of her father, Battalion Chief James Fought

On Nov. 2, 1965, Norman Morrison, 32, a devout Quaker, set himself ablaze outside the Pentagon to protest the war in Vietnam. Morrison had taken his baby daughter, Emily, with him and either set her down or handed her off before dousing himself in gasoline beneath the office of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

On May 5, 2016, Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz named James Bonzano as the county's seventh fire chief.

Bonzano began his career in 1984 as a firefighter/paramedic and has worked in a variety of positions, most recently Acting Assistant Chief.

“Chief Bonzano brings a wealth of experience to this position, as well as deep ties to the Arlington community and Fire Department,” Schwartz said. “Over the last three decades, he has been committed to being a strong and progressive leader and I am thrilled that he will continue to do so as our new Fire Chief.”

Bonzano, who was born in Arlington County, holds a master’s degree from Marymount University as well as a bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University.

On April 14, 1949, flames raged in the two-story Odd Fellows Hall at Wilson Boulevard and Hudson Street, the heart of Clarendon’s business district. Firefighters saved the building, which still stands today.

The Washington Post called it ``Arlington’s worst fire in five years.’’

A merchant quoted by The Post estimated damage at $50,000.

The first alarm was sounded at 9:45 a.m. Second- and third-alarms followed. Offices on the second floor of the brick and masonry structure were gutted. On the ground floor, the Baby Fair Linen Shop and Mayer gift shop sustained smoke and water damage.

Firefighters advanced a hose line into the entrance to a beauty shop on the Hudson Street side of the building and also raised Truck 1’s aerial ladder on Wilson Boulevard to advance lines to the second floor. Ground ladders were also raised.

A police line was established across from the blaze, where spectators lined the sidewalk in front of the old Ashton Theatre, which was showing the movie ``Command Decision,’’ starring Walter Pidgeon and Clark Gable.

Firefighters battled a major blaze at the Hollinger box factory at 3824 Four Mile Run Dr., Arlington, on Aug. 17, 1957. Founded in 1945, Hollinger Metal Edge Co., developed special storage boxes with the Library of Congress and National Archives.

The Arlington County Fire Department waged battle on a stubborn blaze at the Noland Co. plumbing and heating supply warehouse in Rosslyn on June 26, 1952.

As if the smoke and flames were’t hot enough, a heat wave had punished the Washington area that summer. When the fire alarm was struck at about 2:30 p.m., the mercury topped 100 degrees outside 1823 North Arlington Ridge Road.

Crews encountered great difficulty reaching the seat of the fire among stacked cardboard and wooden boxes on the third floor of the brick building.``We could only get to the top of the stairs – it was too damn hot,’’ recalled George Kirschbaum, then a 22-year-old volunteer riding at Company 1.

The tar on the roof was bubbling, said retired firefighter Frank Higgins, also a volunteer at the time. Higgins was riding the truck from Clarendon. Ladder pipes were pressed into service.

A District of Columbia fire boat stood by on the Potomac River in case the fire threatened the American and Cities Service Oil Co. across the street. It never did.

The district also sent a ladder company.

By the time it was over four hours later, more than 20 firefighters suffered injuries, ranging from smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion to cuts and bruises.

The District of Columbia, Alexandria and Fairfax County sent ambulances and rescue squads to treat the casualties. The men were ``dropping like flies,’’ a firefighter told The Washington Post.A detachment of Marines was sent to the scene ``when the heat threatened to wipe out the fire-fighting force,’’ The Washington Star said.

Arlington County’s drillmaster and acting fire chief, Joseph Clements, was overcome and carried from the warehouse. The D.C. fire department’s physician, Dr. William Claudy, suffered smoke inhalation. Also among the injured was firefighter Charles Theodore, who would die a decade later in the line of duty.

Volunteer George Vahoney, 19, of Company 3, was the only firefighter to be admitted to Arlington Hospital, newspapers said. Vahoney fell unconscious after making two trips into the burning warehouse and was pulled out by Kirschbaum.

Kirschbaum, himself, also suffered the effects of the heat and smoke and was administered oxygen and taken to Arlington Hospital in Squad 5. After his tour of duty in the fire service, Vahoney went on to become a surgeon, Kirschbaum said.

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Another noteworthy industrial fire broke out in Rosslyn on May 3, 1948.

Flames destroyed Worthington Oil Refiners Inc. The Arlington County Firemen’s Association cited Firefighter William ``Honey’’ Biggs of the Ballston VFD for his heroism at the fire, according to The Sun newspaper. Protected by a water curtain, Biggs shut off a valve on an oil line feeding the fire. |

The refinery processed used petroleum products. Engine 4 from Clarendon and Engine 3 from Cherrydale were dispatched on the first alarm. Engine 2 from Ballston ran the second alarm. (These were the days before Station No. 10 was opened on Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn.)

In another instance, crews coped with bitter cold and a frozen hydrant when fire gutted the Standard Linen Service Co. at 1425 Lee Highway on Dec. 19, 1942. Frostbite was a problem. Three firefighters were injured, according to The Sun. The industrial laundry used chemicals to clean linen, uniforms and work clothes, such as coveralls.

In 1944 or 1945, a fuel truck and a milk truck collided at Rosslyn Circle, setting some buildings ablaze. And, according to some accounts, a meat packing plant near the site of the current Key Bridge Marriott hotel caught fire sometime in the 1910s or 1920s.

Welcome!

Written and edited by Vinny Del Giudice, a wire service reporter who spent 30 years covering Washington, D.C., started his career in journalism chasing fire engines in Springfield, Ohio, and served as a volunteer fireman and EMT in Arlington County, Virginia, from 1985-1992. (This is a hobby. Suggestions welcomed.)

From the Editor

I am a fire buff and one-time volunteer. This blog is an attempt to share what was learned from my time in the fire service and to thank my friends - volunteer and career alike - for their patience and support. There were many highs and many lows.